The greatest try ever scored?

It is often regarded, certainly by those of a certain age, as the greatest try ever scored. It is, of course, "that try", Gareth Edwards's spectacular effort for the Barbarians against New Zealand on 27 January 1973.

Read the views of those both directly involved and on the edge of their seats watching.

"Oh, that fellow Edwards. If the greatest writer of the written word would have written that story, no-one would have believed it. That really was something." - BBC commentator Cliff Morgan.

What makes it such a remarkable try?

Wales' Gerald Davies (watching after pulling out of the game injured):

"That try, I think, expresses rugby at its best. The agile, the fleet of foot, the Will-o'-the-wisp, and the whole magic of a movement that starts on your own line and ending at the far end with Gareth, majestically, diving over in the corner."

Edwards himself:

"Why it transcends rugby is the improvisation, and the skill factor, under pressure, that was shown in the try. Because when the move started, nobody, bar nobody, myself included, was thinking about a try."

The magic unfolds

The move was started by Wales fly-half
Phil Bennett,
whose dazzling side-steps confounded the All Black defenders bearing down on him.

Unlike many of the Barbarians team, who had been part of the victorious Lions tour of New Zealand two years earlier, Bennett had not been in the tour party.

Best of the rest?

New Zealand v France, Auckland 1994:
Jean-Luc Sadourny finishes off a length of the field move - "the try from the end of the world" - to hand France victory over New Zealand

New Zealand v England, Cape Town 1995:
All Black winger Jonah Lomu tramples Mike Catt one the way to the first of his four against England in the 1995 World Cup semi-final

New Zealand v Australia, Wellington 2000:
Christian Cullen's record-equalling score as he finishes off a dazzling triple scissors move as the All Blacks lost to Australia

United States v South Africa, Montpellier 2007:
Takudzwa Ngwenya burns off South Africa's Bryan Habana as the Eagles go coast to coast to score the try of the 2007 World Cup

Lions coach
Carwyn James,
a Welsh rugby guru, addressed the Barbarians team before the game and spoke to some players individually. Bennett, who had previously been overshadowed by his predecessor in the Wales 10 shirt, Barry John, was nervous.

But James told him: "You're not in the shadows any more. Go out and show the world what
Stradey
knows. You can side-step this lot off the park."

New Zealander Ian Kirkpatrick:

"Phil Bennett, when he took that kick from us down probably mid-way between the 22 and goal-line, we expected him to kick it, not run it. So he did his jinky side-steps, beat three of us, I was one of them, and set it off."

Bennett feeds Wales full-back JPR Williams. He moves it on to England hooker John Pullin, who in turn finds John Dawes. He combines with Tom David, who feeds back row colleague Derek Quinnell…

Edwards again:

"I remember shouting to Derek Quinnell, in Welsh as it happens, just to give him an indication he had support."

England and Barbarians' David Duckham:

"Gareth took the ball at full pace and not even a brick wall would have stopped him."

"I remember then, going back [after scoring], this depth of sound. It's not up there in the stands, it's on top of you. I knew, by the reaction of the crowd, something special had happened."

The final word

"You play at a level outside the conscious when everything is instinctive and sport achieves an art form. The try was a demonstration of a game at that almost super-conscious level,"
Carwyn James,
the inspiration behind the Barbarians' approach, in his Guardian column following the game.

Comments

JJ. Williams was quick, but really?? What was his PB over 100, Carlin Isles, American player, clocked 10.13 in US champ? Not to mention Martin Offiah, habana, and the Welsh Hurdler, Walker,not great but fast, 10.2 I believe.

The greatest pound for pound player ever to grace the game, if this was his finest then his try against Scotland is a very close second.

He and others of their era were special and will never be replaced. I have lived in Wales for over 10 years now and as a very proud England supporter I can tell you nobody has more passion for the game than the Welsh

Good try no doubt but marred by GE lashing out with his boot at the AB who was clinging onto his ankles and the try a certainty. Not in keeping with the BaaBaa' tradition. The real praise should go to Phil Bennet who started the run with breath taking sidesteps and beating 3 ABs. I have the video of this game and watch it often. Have to look away at the end though.

Of course there's no data. If there were, 'golden eras' of a sport would be vulnerable to being exposed as only great in terms of quality and standard when viewed through the prism of misty-eyed nostalgia.

315 thedavydark - interesting perspective, but do you have any data to support the various 'facts' you quote? How have you measured strength and cardio-vascular fitness? I'd be surprised if somebody like Graham Price could bench press more than Andrew Sheridan, but I don't know how you would get reliable data to say with certainty either way.

BBC links

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